Discovering email marketing is like finding out your kid won first place in the school science fair — and got a scholarship because of it! Not only would it have any parent or teacher beaming with pride, it’s news they’d want to share with family, neighbors, and even the grocery clerk. Email marketing simplifies PTA communication in a way that’s engaging, effective, and budget friendly. If you’re not all in with email, you’re missing out big time.

Email spurs your members to act

​Email is a powerful tool deliver a message that incites action. You can include a lot of great information (member spotlights, past event photos, and the like), but don’t forget to include clickable calls to action so your members can actually do something with the info you’re providing. Here are some topics you might include in your PTA newsletter coupled with an appropriate call to action and link.

Say goodbye to printing costs

​Go green by cutting out printing costs. Instead of printing out a couple hundred flyers, why not send an email newsletter that can cover a range of topics? (And who has time to hand out flyers these days?) No funds are needed for postage, paper, ink or other print materials. Some organizations pay an extra fee each month for a service that allows them to send mass emails, but – here’s a kicker – mass emailing is already included for free in your memberplanet account! Spend your budget on more important things.

Track and target your messages

Another huge benefit of email marketing is the tracking capabilities. Lucky for you, this feature, which can be quite pricey with other email providers, is free with your memberplanet account. We recommend tracking these key metrics:

Open rate

An open rate lets you know how many people are, well, opening your email. Test out different subject lines to see how they affect your open rates.

Tracking this number is a great indicator of whether the content you send your members resonates with them. To calculate click rate, take the number of clicks (one per email, even if you have multiple calls to action), divide that by the number of email opens, and multiply that by 100. Example: If 10 people opened your email, and 1 out of 10 clicked a link within it, you’d divide 1 by 10, then multiply the answer by 100. Your click rate is 10%.

Bounced emails could be the result of invalid email addresses. If you know which emails aren’t working, you can remove them from your email list (so they don’t keep inflating your bounce rate), use alternate email addresses if your members have provided them, or ask your members to update their profile information by sending a group text using their number on file.​A decent bounce rate across all sectors: 2.5%

Once you have an idea of these three metrics for the emails you’re sending, you can further target your message to your specific audience. memberplanet provides open rate, clicks, and bounces – great email marketing tools at your disposal so you can measure how effective your messages are. To further target your emails to recipients based on the data collected on the platform (member levels, event RSVP, donation level, etc.), check out our Smart List feature.

Log in and take advantage of the email tools at your fingertips.

​About Lizerne Ventura

With a journalism background and more than 10 years of experience in all things content, Liz fully appreciates the art of storytelling. When she's not working on content marketing, strategy, creation, or operations, she enjoys community volunteering and playing organ in her church choir.

You have a hunch about how your organization is doing, but a gut feeling is not going to cut it. You need to look at specific data to see what's working and what isn't. Don't just jump in and start measuring absolutely everything; instead, first focus on these three crucial reports: email tracking, invitation history, and levels reports.

1. Email tracking reportEven the busiest group leader needs to track ─ at the very least ─ email rates. With all the email campaigns you create, it’s helpful to see whether the messages are benefiting your members or … not.

Here’s a look at three email rates to keep your eye on. These key performance indicators (KPIs) will let you know whether folks are actually receiving, opening, and reacting to your emails:​

Open rate

An open rate lets you know how many people are, well, opening your email. Subject lines, the email sender, and the time the email is sent can affect your open rate. Testing out different variations of these will help you optimize your email open rate.

This number shows how many of your members are actually clicking the links you send them. It’s a great indicator of whether the content you send your group members actually resonates with them.

The report indicates that a clickthrough rate for nonprofits ranges from 2.76 - 8.00%.

Bounce rate

Do you know how many emails aren’t getting through? This could be the result of a temporary problem, such as an overstuffed inbox, or because it went to an invalid email address, which is the most common reason for a bounce.

To view opens, bounces, and clicks to your email campaigns on memberplanet, hover over Emails in the left navigation sidebar, then click Email Tracking Report in the submenu.

For the date range selected, your email campaigns will be displayed with corresponding metrics.

2. Members invitation email historyYou've worked hard to boost membership. After your membership drive, you probably emailed prospects to join your group. Did you have positive results? View your membership email history to track who was invited and how they responded. At memberplanet, we consider it a best practice to periodically send out invitations to non-members. To become members, recipients only need to make a membership payment or provide info to sign up for a free membership, if you offer the option.

A membership invitation history report shows which admin sent the invitations and when, who opened it, and if the member accepted the invitation. To view your group’s member invitation history:

On the left navigation sidebar, hover over Members and click Invitation History in the submenu.

3. Membership levels reportSometimes, in a rush to drive membership, group managers and admins forget to look at overall membership levels activity. You just might be looking at new prospects who signed up for a free membership level, and you might not quite get the complete picture.

Most groups have different levels of membership, including free and multiple paid levels. By viewing a membership levels report, you’ll gain a bird’s-eye view of not just who makes up your group, also the history of each member level. This should give you a better idea of how you can target members on a specific level and influence activity by creating events and content to keep members engaged.

On the left navigation sidebar, hover over Membership and click Membership Levels Report in the submenu

2. On the levels tab, click the gear icon for the membership level you wish to view 3. Select View Members from the dropdown menu

The list of members on that level will be displayed, along with their member status

Admins can also view level history by member. On the Members tab, select the gear icon next to the member name you wish to see the history for, then select Level History in the dropdown menu.

All this business intelligence will help you become a better, more informed group admin. You also can look at other metrics, such as survey results, donations, payments, events, RSVPs and so much more – we have reporting for just about everything on the platform.

Sign into your memberplanet account today and get down to reporting! ​

About Eric Whittington

Eric uses his combined skillset of an analyst and administrator to assist organization leaders implement membership management solutions. He also has a wealth of knowledge on event management, brand consistency, and effective communication for groups. Looks can be deceiving - he's a cat person.

The all-new All Payments report has an updated look and feel that makes it cleaner and more user friendly. The report provides administrators with a bird’s-eye view of their organization and more detailed way to manage transaction-level data. Admins can easily view and manipulate data – without having to export to Excel (which you can still do, of course). If your organization has child groups, such as chapters or clubs, you can also see and sort transactions from your child groups in the same report. This report and its features are available on all subscription plans.

Key improvements

Powerful search functionsQuickly parse organization data by utilizing search options like payment amounts, partial names like a last name only, and payment source. Every field displayed is searched, so if you enter in "30" in in the search box, you can rest assured that whether it appears in the date, is part of a string in reference numbers, or is shown in any other field, it will be listed in records returned.

Enter your search terms in the search box located in the upper right side of your report, then click the magnifying glass icon to return results.

Comprehensive accounting summary and functionsThe report displays all your organizations transactions, and where admins have the permissions, they have convenience of issuing refunds from the same screen. Filter by payment type, and view payment details such as schedules of recurring and installment payments by simply clicking on a record. A detail screen will appear on the right-hand side. From there, an admin can view the status of payments without having to navigate away from the initial report.

In one location, you can view complete running totals for payments, fees, and total transaction amounts for your entire organization.

Totals for your transaction data for the date range selected (not just page totals) is located at the bottom right of your All Payments report.

Improved date range search
Date parameters default to "any time," which is the time your organization began collecting funds on memberplanet to the present, so you start off by seeing the complete transaction information for the history of your group. The dropdown menu allows you to modify the date range, choose from other options, such as the last 30 days, or enter a specific date range.

Click on the dropdown menu labeled Any Time at the top of the report to adjust date range.

Quick Filters
These filters provide the ability to display payment activity by type of payment (installment or recurring) or memberplanet service such as events, donations, membership, and more to give you specific transaction details by source.

Click on the Quick Filters dropdown menu at the top of your report to check off any combination of filters.

User-controlled view
The column data of your All Payments report is also configurable so you can show and hide data fields according to your viewing preference. Drag and drop columns to customize your report layout, and set column data to sort by ascending or descending. You can also lock columns to make it easier to view data as you scroll horizontally.

Click on Choose Columns along the top of the report to add or remove column data, and to lock columns.

Parent/child report
Organizations that have a child groups such as chapters, clubs, or units, can now view all data for their child groups in one consolidated report. The All Payments report default setting is Activity in My Group, which will isolate your group’s records. To view all records, including activity in your child groups, select Activity in My Organization.

If you wish to view the former All Payments report, don't worry it's still available to you. Just click on the Former All Payments report link near the top of the page and you'll be directed back to it.

Northern California Contest Club (NCCC) is a group of radio operator enthusiasts and is an affiliate of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for amateur radio operators in the United States. In the world of ham radio, amateur refers to operators who must pass an exam to communicate non-commercially over the radio frequency spectrum. The contest-oriented club relied on manual processes to record and track membership, which was time consuming and resulted in inaccurate record-keeping. With members demanding transparency and online payment options and access to information, NCCC needed a system that members could use to view their own membership status and payments.

Since teaming with memberplanet, NCCC has maintained accurate records (in less time) and provided a dedicated, online membership portal for its members to view payment history and stay updated with club activities. As a result, NCCC has enjoyed a 57% increase in paid membership and 37% boost in dues collected in just one year.

Small Club, Big Challenges

For a club whose members are mostly over 50 and involved in a hobby that includes a fondness of Morse code, attracting younger demographics and recruiting new members in order to thrive may seem like a unique struggle. There are many small social clubs, however, that have fallen behind on meeting the demands of a new generation of members, including providing access to information online, offering convenient payment methods, and effectively communicating updates. Clubs that still heavily rely on paper filing systems and manual processes face the time-consuming challenge of keeping accurate financial records and managing members.

It became clear to NCCC that it needed to upgrade its manual processes and combat its dwindling membership – or face radio silence.

Manual Processes – Over

In 2016, NCCC began using memberplanet to keep its database organized and up to date. “We really didn't know how many members we had prior to memberplanet. It's sad, but true,” Ian Parker, NCCC’s Secretary, explained. The club’s manual reporting processes included interactions between the secretary and treasurer, a lot of paperwork, and time. Sometimes members who missed payments went undetected. “We now have a good grasp on the number of real members. With memberplanet our data is kept accurate – and timely.”

Club admins have enjoyed the platform’s turnkey features, such as automated membership reminders and convenient payment options. “We also have more up-to-date member information and auto renewals. These were the primary reasons for moving to memberplanet, which has been one hundred percent successful,” Parker said. The membership insights available in the support site and the time freed up from admin tasks are now directed to engaging members.

A Closer Look at NCCC’s Online Results

Admins have used the platform’s event sites and RSVPs to manage and track attendance. Parker believes that memberplanet’s payment reporting, event invite templates, and email campaign features have dramatically improved their efficiency. Members can log in to a dedicated portal, view club announcements, connect with other members using the interactive directory, and update their own profile. “We have received many positive comments,” Parker continued. “Overall, it has been a huge plus and now folks can also see when they last paid!”

When NCCC started using memberplanet in 2016, it had 100 paid memberships. That number rose to 157 by the end of 2017 – a 57% boost. The club also saw a 37% increase in membership dues. Parker noted how more members are engaging with the club, converting to paid membership status, and how the hassle-free process of joining the club is contributing to an increase in membership overall. As of January 2018, NCCC had 350 members total.

Broadcasting a Bright Future

Parker reveals NCCC has recently obtained 501(c)(3) status for nonprofits, and plans to fundraise and open an online NCCC store are in the works. Growing paid membership and engaging members remains a focus for the club, which was founded in 1970. Now that NCCC personnel find it much easier to manage and interpret data, communicate with members, and increase engagement, they expect that their club for radio aficionados will remain on the air for much, much longer.

Contact memberplanet today to learn how the platform can help your organization simplify membership.

Have you ever looked at your email campaign tracking and wondered why a percentage of your emails were "sent" but not "delivered"? Our member database now features a failed address warning adjacent to undelivered addresses, and enables you to manage and re-add faulty email addresses.

First, there are a few reasons why mail to some email addresses isn't delivered: ​

1) The member unsubscribed

Every email you send through memberplanet includes an embedded "unsubscribe" link in the footer. This feature is required by the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act, and even if it weren't required, it's a good idea to always respect your recipients' email preferences. And no, you cannot re-subscribe them!

2) Missing or invalid email address

If a recipient’s email address is not in a valid format (e.g. missing the “@” symbol, contains spaces, etc) or if the recipient does not have a primary email address listed on their account, your email campaign cannot be delivered. Primary email addresses can be added or corrected from the recipient’s page in the Members & Contacts database.

3) The member's email address bounced

A bounce occurs when a recipient’s email address is unable to accept your email campaign, perhaps because their inbox is too full, as well as a host of other reasons. When this happens memberplanet will disable that email from future sends. While it's not a good idea to continue sending to a bounced email, sometimes the issue can be resolved. We now offer a manual process by which you can give an email address 'another chance'.

While you can't re-subscribe a member, you now can manually edit and/or restore invalid or bounced emails. When you open a "bounced" member's page on the new membership database you will see a "!" symbol by their email, along with the word "bounced" and a blue link "restore". Restoring the email will remove it from the bounced list so that it will be included once again in future sends. However, if the email bounces again, it will again be disabled and the "bounced" status will reappear in the member's contact page. ​

memberplanet prides itself on supporting organizations and their members by meeting all of their needs in a single, user-friendly location. It’s one thing to strive for this goal and another to be recognized for it. Capterra highlighted the advantages of using memberplanet, including our donation campaign capabilities, integration with QuickPay, online surveys, and the range of support options available, “among quite a few other options.”

It is a special honor for memberplanet to be recognized. We strive to provide powerful solutions for any and all kinds of groups, including nonprofits, religious organizations, schools, boosters, parent-teacher associations, and Greek and alumni organizations. memberplanet aims to promote awareness and participation for your specific cause and make communication and integration seamless. That’s why our web-based software is an affordable option for organizations of any size.

​To really understand how our membership management software can solve your organization’s problems, you have to try it for yourself! Create a free account today and take the first step towards simplifying and empowering your group.

So you’re thinking about joining memberplanet? Awesome! We’d love to have you. Or, maybe you've just made an account and have to get started? Welcome! We promise it’s easy to use and you’ll get your group organized on it in no time!

With so many great tools provided by the site it’s easy to think, “Where to start, and how?”

As a recent user of memberplanet, I will be the first to say I was nervous since technology is not my forte. However, the site is created to be user-friendly and has helpful guides that provide you with step-by-step instructions.​Check out how I got started on my sports team site below!

Getting Started on the PlatformAfter creating an account for my intramural soccer team, the next step was to set up my group. Adding a logo is a great way to brand not only the site but all communications from the group. I was so worried about not having a logo, but memberplanet had a collection of images for me to choose from.

Next, I uploaded and invited my group members so they could join in on the fun! memberplanet makes it easy to upload and invite group members through email. You can also track who has received the invite, who has opened it, and who has joined.

​Communicating with my Members E- newsletters are a great way to immediately get members involved. It also opens a channel of communication on the platform. Another great way to get information out fast is through aBroadcast, which sent out a quick message via email and text to my members. I was able to let everyone know about the location change for our practice that day in less than a minute!

Collecting Paymentsmemberplanet makes it easy to collect funds online. Not only can I collect team payments and uniform money, but memberplanet has different payment options. This makes it super easy set up recurring payments or to send a QuickPay through an email! There is even a feature to keep track of any cash or checks collected as well, so all of your amounts are viewable in one place! There is also the ability to create a donation site for ongoing collection of donations for your group!

​Tracking Event RSVP'sAn event site is a great way to generate buzz about an upcoming group event. The customizable website made it easy for my soccer team to send invites for our BBQ. Also since everything is connected it was easy to track RSVP lists, ticket sales, and social media sharing. Other features like collecting payments and survey forms can also be added. Everything you need to host an incredible event is right at your fingertips through memberplanet

​At first I wasn't ready to complete all of these steps since my soccer team was new. Don’t worry! All of these steps can be updated or completed at any time. The steps are easy to located on the side of the main screen under the ‘Getting Started’ guide. This easy guide will help turn you from a memberplanet newbie to a pro before you know it! It helped me create everything I need to manage and organize my soccer team to be the best team around!

What is a smart list? And why should you be excited about it? Good questions!

We describe Smart Lists as self-maintaining distribution lists that let you easily target specific subsets of members based on their status or actions they’ve taken on the system. Still confused? For example, you can create a targeted distribution list of everyone who donated over $100 to your Donation Site, or of everyone who submitted a specific form, or of all current “active” dues-paying members, without pulling the data and manually identifying those individuals each time. Get ready to save a ton of time!

Gone are the days of downloading a spreadsheet of form responses only to re-upload it to create a new distribution list! This eagerly-awaited update makes it really easy to connect and draw member data from your account, like an Event RSVP list, and use it to generate a distribution list for an upcoming email.

Smart Lists stay up-to-date:Smart Lists can be created in seconds (what's better than that?), and continue to refresh over time automatically, so members will be added or removed from the list as their relevant status changes. For example, even if more members submit your form after you create the list, they will subsequently be added to your Smart List. There is no need to worry about constantly updating the list on your own. At the time you click “send” your list will be 100% accurate.

​Smart Lists can be saved and reused:Smart Lists can be saved and reused as 'Saved Smart Lists'. Smart Lists continuously refresh, so they can be reused again and again without becoming outdated. For example, this is ideal for lists pertaining to member status, which may change significantly over time, with both additions and deletions.

Smart Lists integrate with every module on the system:You can create Smart Lists for donation activity, form submissions, member types, member level, member status, admin roles, event replies, email and broadcast activity, etc. Check out all of the features! Each option is described in more detail below!

Member StatusCreate a list for one or more membership statuses, including Joined, Invited, Not invited, Declined Invitation, Lapsed, Banned, Request Denied, Left Group, etc.

Event Reply or Event Guest ListManaging an event? Create a list for all invited guests, or just guests who submitted specific replies, including Yes, No, Maybe, and No Reply.

DonorsInterested in reaching out to your top donors? Create a list for donors based on their donation action, including their giving level, donation threshold amount, or if they started a supporter page.

Payment FormsCreate a list for all users who purchased a certain amount or more on a payment form. (This can be $0.00 if you'd like to capture everyone who submitted the form even without making a purchase).

Survey SubmissionsCreate a list for all users who have submitted a survey form.

Charge StatusCreate a list according to members' charge statuses, including Paid, Declined, and Open.

Email or Broadcast ActivityWant to reach out to only those members who actually opened or clicked your last email? You can create a list for that - for email or Broadcast.

View your list at any timeFor each list you generate you will have the ability to view the current recipients by clicking "view members" to the far right. Keep in mind, this list view will be accurate at the time you are viewing, but it may change as the lists are dynamic and refresh with new data continuously. This means your list may change between the time you view it and the time your email sends.

As always, we are thrilled to bring you another feature that delivers huge value to your group and makes your life just a little bit easier. Keep your eye out for Tech Update emails to stay up to date with each new feature. We love working to make life simpler one step at a time!